What Makes Us Happy?

Case No. 218

How’s this for the good life? You’re rich, and you made the dough yourself. You’re well into your 80s, and have spent hardly a day in the hospital. Your wife had a cancer scare, but she’s recovered and by your side, just as she’s been for more than 60 years. Asked to rate the marriage on a#FF0000 scale of 1 to 9, where 1 is perfectly miserable and 9 is perfectly happy, you circle the highest number. You’ve got two good kids, grandkids too. A survey asks you: “If you had your life to live over again, what problem, if any, would you have sought help for and to whom would you have gone?” “Probably I am fooling myself,” you write, “but I don’t think I would want to change anything.” If only we could take what you’ve done, reduce it to a set of rules, and apply it systematically.

This is the beginning of a recent article in the Atlantic Monthly, and is an utterly fascinating summary of the work of George Vaillant and his rather obsessive but scientific study of 268 men who entered Harvard in the late 1930s, and tracked them through "war, career, marriage and divorce, parenthood and grandparenthood, and old age," in search of what makes for a good life.

Warning, however: details about each man's life, which appear in the article (each "case" cited is done so anonymously) are voluminous, sometimes irritatingly so. Vaillant measured everything he could think of, especially physically.

John F. Kennedy is now known, just discovered lately, to be one of these men. His records have been sealed for another 30 years.

Two traits Vaillant has identified which, in his opinion, help to make men happy: healthy adaptation to the issues and problems that surround them, and social aptitude, how well they get along with people.

To read the Atlantic Monthly article, click on this link.

Another Reason to Have that Cup of Tea

A new UCLA analysis of a group of studies (as reported in RemedyLife magazine, Summer 2009) as published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association concludes that "drinking at least three cups of green or black tea a day can slash your risk of stroke by 21 percent."

And it doesn't seem to matter how much tea you drink: the benefits keep on coming. "Each increase of three cups is associated with a 21 percent reduction in risk," says lead author Lenore Arab, Ph.D., a professor of medicine and biological chemist at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

She believes the effect may be due to the amino acid theanine. "It is almost exclusively in tea, and it's nearly 100 percent absorbed," says Dr. Arab.

RemedyLife suggests we aim for six cups throughout the day for the greatest benefit.

Colon Cancer Test Predicts Risk of Cancer Recurrence

According to a press release from Genomic Health, the Oncotype DX® colon cancer assay—a genomic test similar to one already in use for breast cancer—has been shown to predict the risk of cancer recurrence among patients with Stage II colon cancer. This test may eventually help guide colon cancer treatment decisions.

For the complete article from Cancer Consultants.com, look here.

Book Review: The Adventures of Cancer Bitch, by S.L. Wisenberg

The Adventures of Cancer Bitch was a collection of blog entries made into a book. But, actually, if you hadn't known that up front, you never would have guessed it.

Cancer picks strange bedfellows. Wisenberg is a writer in her late forties or so who is afraid and determined all at once. This is her chronicle of dealing with the news, dealing with the inevitable mastectomy, dealing with the chemo and loss of hair, dealing with her friends. She's outgoing, but cancer drives her inside. Despite all this, she's relentlessly witty, asking the questions we are afraid to ask, and often providing the answers.

It's well written, easy to follow, wonderful to read. For those who are going through this hell, it's a worthy read. For those who know someone who has, it's enlightening.

Ginger May Ease the Side Effects of Chemo

I feel this is an important discovery, one that could ease a lot of suffering: Adding ginger to foods before, during and after chemotherapy treatment may ease its side effects, according to one study.

Los Angeles Times' reporter Shari Roan, as reported through yesterday's Oakland Tribune (May 15, 2009), tells us that "simply adding a teaspoon of ginger to food consumed in the days before, during and after chemotherapy can reduce the often debilitating side effects of nausea and vomiting, a large, randomized clinical trial has found. A newer type of anti-nausea drug, when added to standard medications, can help such side effects as well.

"The findings are significant, cancer experts said, because about 70 percent of chemotherapy patients experience nausea and vomiting -- often severe -- during treatment.

"In the ginger study, 644 patients, most of them female, from 23 oncology practices throughout the United States received two standard anti-emetic medications at the time of chemotherapy. They also were given capsules containing either 0.5 gram, 1 gram or 1.5 grams of ginger, or placebo capsules. The patients took the capsules containing the placebo or ginger for three days before chemotherapy and three days after treatment.

"All of the patients receiving ginger experienced less nausea for four days after chemotherapy, said study lead author Julie Ryan of the University of Rochester Medical Center. Doses of 0.5 gram and 1 gram were the most effective, reducing nausea by 40 percent compared with the patients taking the placebo.

"Researchers do not know why ginger helps, Ryan said. But, she added, 'there is other research showing it has a potent anti-inflammatory effect in the gut.'"

Avoid Food Poisoning with Melon

According to the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter (June 2009), "before cutting a cantaloupe or any melon, wash it with cool running water and a scrub brush."

The article tells us that food poisoning from salmonella and other bacteria has been linked to melons, and if you cut right through the melon without washing and scrubbing the outside first, the bacteria can be sliced into the fruit.

They also add: be sure to refrigerate cut melon. Cut melon can be left out for up to 4 hours; after that, it should be discarded. If you're at a farmer's market, and you see cut melon for sale under non-refrigerated circumstances, don't buy it.

Tips for Preventing Osteoporosis

This is from the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, June 2009:

1. Do weight-bearing exercise (such as running or brisk walking), along with strength training, for at least 30 minutes most days of the week.

2. Make your diet count. For calcium, eat low-fat and nonfat dairy products, leafy greens, and calcium-fortified foods. Fruits and vegetables provide other bone-building nutrients.

3. To make up for calcium and vitamin D shortfalls, you need supplements. Take a calcium supplement to reach 1,200 milligrams a day if you're over 50. The official daily vitamin D recommendation is 400 IU for people 51 to 70, and 600 IU for people over 70. But we advise 800 to 1,000 IU daily.

4. Don't smoke.

5. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. That may actually boost bone density, while heavy drinking reduces it.

6. Ask your doctor if any of your medications could be taking a toll on your bones.

Calcium Drives Off Cancer?

The Archives of Internal Medicine, vol. 169, p. 391, as reported by The John Hopkins Medical Letter: Health After 50, suggests that consuming the recommended amount of calcium, which is between 1200 and 1500 mg daily, may have a health benefit beyond the usual one of making our bones strong.

"A large study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and AARP found that men who consumed at least 1,500 mg of dietary calcium daily were 16% less likely to get colon or other digestive cancers than men who consumed 500 mg or less.

"Women who reported consuming at least 1,300 mg each day were less likely to get any type of cancer."

Diet and Exercise are the Key to Reducing Risk of Cancer

A great article on news.scotsman.com tells us the results of a 5-year-study: that diet and exercise are the key to reducing our every day risk of cancer.

Click here for the link.

Book Review: Growing Up Again, by Mary Tyler Moore

I was at LAX this morning, and I had two hours to kill before lining up to board. I bought an interesting book and sat down to read.

The book is Growing Up Again, a new one by Mary Tyler Moore. The intriguing subtitle is: "Life, Loves, and Oh Yeah, Diabetes." I have to admit, that's what drew me in.

So I sat down in front of Gate 13, opened my bag of M&M's, and started reading. It wasn't long before the irony of that act was apparent to me. (Yes, I'm slow, and still deep in denial.)

Growing Up Again, published just recently, contains a lot about MTM's career, starting with the Dick Van Dyke show with a large dash of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She also throws in liberal doses of problems with her marriages and her parents. But that's all background, vital background, on how she deals with her Type I diabetes, and why. The book is all about diabetes, how she got it, how she deals with it, how she adjusts.

And remember that she was diagnosed at the age of 33, over 40 years ago, when a diabetic had to run a test strip, four times a day, under a stream of urine. Things are unbelievably easier now.

It's a fascinating journey. The good thing about this book is that it's inspiring because it's about a normal person. She doesn't handle the news well. She starts off her life with diabetes by using it to think she's now special, and worthy of attention. And it's her honesty and truth in this self-discovery that allows us in to witness this very personal story.

A criticism of the book is that it meanders endlessly. If you like chronological, or linear, you might have an issue with its structure. But if you can, stick with it, especially if you're diabetic. It's a journey, a message, that will speak to you.

By the time I reached the end of the book, I realize I've been, simply, a coward in how I am facing my diabetes. My self-awareness has been slow to come. I'd like to make a move to change, and I have Mary Tyler Moore to thank.

I do recommend Growing Up Again.